Rape Charges to Be Filed Against Strauss-Kahn in France

French writer Tristane Banon will file charges for attempted rape against Dominique Strauss-Kahn on Tuesday, her lawyer told Reuters. She alleges that Strauss-Kahn attacked her in 2002 when she was interviewing the former IMF chief in an apartment in Paris. She compared his behavior that day to a, "rutting chimpanzee" in a television interview in 2007. The statute of limitations on rape in France is ten years.

The new case comes as the prosecution's case against him on American soil appeared to tear at the seams. Strauss-Kahn is due in court in New York on July 18. CNN reported Sunday that the judge has made "no decision" as to whether or not he will drop the charges.

Charges on home soil should address some of the concerns over his treatment during the first few days after the alleged incident in New York. Representatives of the Socialist Party that once wanted him to run for president against Nicolas Sarkozy expressed interest this weekend that he might still be able to do that. Lionel Jospin, the last Socialist Prime Minister, told the BBC that: "If we hypothesise that Dominique is cleared of all suspicion and all charges, which I obviously hope will happen, then it will be first down to him to decide... and then it will be down to the Socialists to decide." Socialist member of parliament Jean-Marie Le Guen said, "If what we heard... is true, that the American justice will free him and re-habilitate him, give him back his honour and dignity. Then, since Dominique Strauss-Kahn is a fighter, he will fight in our country."

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.

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Connor Simpson is a former staff writer for The Wire. His work has appeared in Business Insider and City Lab.